First things first, Levi updates :-) He is now weighing in at about 4lbs 14oz and is doing wonderfully. At E's appointment yesterday the physician mentioned that 37 weeks is a possibility so who knows when we will get to meet our little guy. It could be today or 2 weeks from now. We are just thrilled that he and E are doing so very well. E and I continue to talk and text, and I really enjoy our conversations. Now onto something new. My husband, Jarred, has wanted to do a guest post for a while now. We both thought it was great timing for him to post about his grandfather named Harold (called Paw). My only disclaimer about his post is that I was not allowed to change anything... not even spelling. (That is painful for me.) In short, the rest of this post is all Jarred and none of me. I was thinking about inserting a statement something like; "The views in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the blog owner..." However, I think he did a great job. I hope you enjoy Jarred's post:

Levi Harold, Regan, and all the other things that I have wanted to say…Guest Post by JarredMy Paw was a great man. Worked hard, loved his family, and had a great name among the community. He also just simply had a great name. Did you know Shannon and I actually both had grandparents named Betty and Harold? NO, for those of you reading this that know I am from Kentucky, we ARE NOT cousins! (Kyle has man boobs.)Now back to my point. There has never been anything that Shannon and I have argued about more than names for our children. Harold was a sort of natural choice for us. We both wanted to honor those men by naming our son after them. However, Shannon says that Harold is an old name and cannot be used for a baby. I say that is junk. And this is the point that I cannot seem to get across to her. He will be old longer than he will be young. Think about it. He will be a baby for about 2 years, then on to toddler for a couple more. Then he will be a boy for another six. By the time he is ten, he will have moved into owning his name and it won’t reflect back to us every single time someone uses it. By then he will have heard who he is named after and be proud of his heritage. He will defend the name himself if he so chooses. From the time he is ten until he is ninety, the name will seem totally normal to all people. So what that Shannon and I have to defend the name for the first ten years of his life. I don’t care what any of you think about it anyway. With all that said, I have consistently argued that Levi’s first name should be Harold. But because I love my wife we have decided to go with Levi.

Regan. She was just the best dog ever. These last few days have been some of the crappiest EVER! Making the decision on whether or not your beloved animal lives or dies is a serious decision and it hurts a lot. But I can say this undoubtedly. IT WAS WORTH IT! Her fluffy face and squishy body were some of the most fun petting I have ever had. She loved us like crazy. She was a great dog from her crazy tail wagging skills (or lack thereof) to the droll oozing out of her mouth at the sound of, “peanut butter.” I would never trade the last five years with her for anything. She was a great dog and will be truly missed.

All the other things I have wanted to say. As it turns out I can’t really think of other things to say. I guess I could say this. To all of you who have given us money or helped us in one way or another, I truly, really, really appreciate it. To those of you who have not and are thinking about it, please do so now. We are in a tighter financial spot than we have ever been and could use your help. We are not dying or anything, we can still pay our bills, I am just saying that we just have lots of expenses coming up with our travel and all and have very little to fall back on. Thank you to all who read this on a regular basis. I am always surprised when I find out someone is reading it. We really do appreciate your prayers and encouragements. Thanks.Jarred

Comments

Kim

06/07/2012 13:32

1) Kyle did not say anything about Kentucky...that was all you, so I think he owes you a retort to the man boobs comment.
2) I agree with Shannon. Even when Levi Harold is an old man, the old men will have names like Ayden, Hayden, Braden, and Jaden. In fact, by that time, baby boys probably will be named Harold again. I know you don't care, but I think Harold is wonderful MIDDLE name. :)
3) Regan was a great dog. I had a dream about her last night :)
4) Did you know that there's a possibility that Levi could be born on my birthday?! I know that will excite you quite a bit, so that's what I'm rooting for!

Reply

Cara

06/14/2012 10:54

Jarred, I hate to break it to you but Shannon is right. I was called by my middle name growing up, up to the age of 19, and I hated it. I especially hated it when in schoool....having to explain that Cara was my first name, but call me Lou. Plus, I hated the name Lou!!! It didn't sound like a girl's name, even though it is a family name. Stick to Levi as planned. Levi will thank you for it later when you tell him you wanted his first name to be Harold. (othing against the Harold's of the world.)